Photo: Facebook - VictorySwim105

UPDATE: 12:10 p.m.

For a man currently swimming the length of the Okanagan and his aunt, inspiration is a two-way street.

Adam Ellenstein is expected to land at the Penticton end of Okanagan Lake early Tuesday evening, after he jumped in near Vernon on Monday morning.

Ellenstein is looking to set a world record for the fastest swim along the Okanagan – a 105-kilometre swim.

In doing so, he is raising money for the Davis Phinney Foundation, which helps people suffering from Parkinson’s disease. His aunt, Susan Scarlett, was diagnosed last fall.

“He wanted to do something to help, to raise awareness and raise money,” she said. “I think we’ve raised close to $14,000 for this wonderful little organization.”

While Ellenstein said Scarlett was the inspiration for his swim, she said it goes both ways.

“To me, he is the one that is so unbelievably inspirational for what he’s doing, being out there,” she said.

At about 85 kilometres into the swim, Scarlett said his swim has been faster than previously anticipated.

“Adam’s keeping a faster pace than I think any of us imagined,” she said. “As of this morning, he was averaging 1.8 miles per hour (2.9 kilometres per hour).”

Estimates have also gone as high 3.7 km/h.

Following in his wake, Scarlett said Ellenstein’s swim has a crew of 19 people, who are present for safety, documentation, support and nutrition, with some even dipping into the water to swim alongside him.

“There’s a floatilla of boats around him and I’m on one of them,” she said. “I swam with Adam yesterday, which was really awesome.”

She said there is some concern with reports of a severe thunderstorm watch rolling into the Okanagan Valley Tuesday evening.

"We want to get him on land before it hits. We've definitely been talking about it," she said. "It's not ominous at all now, except for this wind shift."

Scarlett said the process for setting the record has been meticulously planned, with Guinness World Records requiring their own observers to be present, each observer taking a shift of no longer than four hours, along with constant footage of his entire swim.

He is expected to land in Penticton at about 8 p.m.

People interested in donating to his cause are encouraged to visit the foundation’s website.

ORIGINAL

U.S. ultra-distance triathlete Adam Ellenstein had swum more than 70 kilometres of Okanagan Lake by 8 a.m. Tuesday.

A photo posted on the Facebook VictorySwim105 page shows Ellenstein swimming past Rattlesnake Island, east of Peachland. 

Ellenstein departed the Vernon area on his marathon swim early Monday.

His team says the Michigan athlete has fewer than 35 kilometres left to swim of the 105 kilometre total. The actual length of Okanagan Lake is listed as 135 kilometres.

The VictorySwim105 is to raise awareness and support for those with Parkinson’s disease through a partnership with the Davis Phinney Foundation.